The present invention relates to cards for displaying items for sale, and more particularly to a combined display card and flashlight.
The common practice for displaying small and lightweight retail items, such as handheld flashlights, is to package the items in a blister pack and place them on shelves or hang them in various displays. Blister packs generally comprise two pieces of clear plastic that are attached to each other thereby defining a cavity retaining the item to be displayed. Small items packaged in such a manner are less prone to shoplifting as a result of the physical size of the blister pack. The blister pack also isolates the product from the purchaser, preventing inadvertent damage that can result from repeated handling prior to sale. Such damage may not be readily visible to the purchaser, such as leaving a disposable electrical product turned on, thereby draining the batteries and rendering the product useless. The blister pack also permits irregularly shaped products to be displayed in an orderly fashion, such as by including an aperture at the top of the blister package and hanging the individual product packages from hooks and the like in the store.
While the blister pack has significant advantages as discussed above, it also possesses some inherent disadvantages. To decrease the probability of shoplifting small and relatively expensive items, such as cameras, electronic components, or the like, the blister pack must be relatively large in comparison. Consequently, the cost of fabricating and assembling the blister pack can become quite expensive and add significant cost to the product. While the blister pack prevents direct handling of the product to minimize pre-sale damage, the isolation of the product inside the blister pack also prevents tactile feedback to a potential user that can only be obtained by directly handling the product. Such tactile feedback, wherein a prospective user or customer can tactilely experience unique features of the product, can also enhance sales of the item as compared to the same product displayed in a blister pack.
Thus, there is a need, heretofore unfulfilled, for a relatively inexpensive display card for disposable electronic products, that securely holds the product and functions to prevent power switches from remaining in the on position to maintain as much electrical power as is possible.